Movable upstanding two-wheeled toy



' Feb. 3, 197,0

YASUTA SATO MOVABLE UPSTANDING TWO-WHEELED TOY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1v Filed June 4} 1968 FIG.2.

.1 -f mum S 3,492,152.3

MOVABLE UPSTANDING TWO-WHEELED TOY Filed June 4. 1968 v 3 Shets-Sheet 5 if I2 5 w P I I Q 60 I v I50 IO :1 L i 8| 8 lIWE/VTOR )Qsuh Sat;

Minimum 7' United at... Par-em o awa ts 3,492,758 MOVABLE UPSTANDING TWO-WHEELED TOY Yasuta Sato, 48-3334 Matsugaoka, Nagareyama-shi,

Chiba-ken, Tokyo, Japan Filed June 4, 1968, Ser. No. 734,289 Claims priority, appglacpgin Japan, Apr. 9, 1968, i v Int. ct. A6311 33/26, 1 /32, 11/10 115. CI. id- 29i} wer ABSTRACT or run mscnosunn v,

-A toy car having a single front wheel mounted on a.

chassis pivoted on the car body about a normally vertical The present invention relales to two-wheeled toys, and in particular the invention is concerned with a movable two-wheeled toy held upright by one or a plurality of high speed rotors. v

Two-wheeled toys of the prior art, such as motor bicycles, are generally provided with anauxiliary wheel in addition to a front wheel and a rear wheel to restrain the 'toys against tailing sideways.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a two-wheeled toy which can be maintained in an upstanding position and moved with 'only'two wheels in the same manner as genuine two-wheeled cars, without using an auxiliary wheelr Another object of the invention is to provide a two, wheeled toy of the type described which is capable of and changing its direction, when striking an obstacle, without falling sideways.

Still another. object of the invention is to provide a two-wheeled toy which can be operated as a toy monorail caron a grooved rail without running off the rail.

-To enable the invention to be clearly understood, a preferred embodiment of the. invetnion and a typical modification thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1' is a side view of a two-wheeled toy according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the two-wheeled toy of FIG. 1;

H6. 3 shows the internal mechanism of the twowheeled toy of FIG. I as seen upwardly and downwardly from the sectional plane along the line.-AA of FIG. I;

FIGI'4 shows switch means of a power source, FIG. 4A being a perspective view and FIG. 4B being a side view;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a drive section;

a vertical shaft 3 which rotatabiy supports a drive section 2. The drive section 2 consists of a chassis 4, a drive motor 5, two high speed rotors 6a and-6b and a gearing, 7,. 'l-he drive motor 5 is mounted on the chassis 4 in such a manner that its rotary shaft 5 is disposed horizontally and? intersects the axis L of the vertical shaft 3 (connected the chassis 4). The rotary shaft 5' has opposite end! which rotatably extend through the chassis 4, and high speed rotors 6a and 6 b, whiehi are in the form til-discs formed of iron or the like, are attached to saidopposite ends respectively. Although the-two-wheeled toy has been described as being provided with two high speed rotors, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular number of rotors, and that the two-wheeled toy according to this invention may be provided with one such rotor. The two-wheeled toy with one, high speed rotor. compares unfavorably with the two-wheeled toy with two high speed rotors in smoothness and stability of operation. A front wheel-,jtl-extending outwardly through an opening-9 formed inthe bottom of the main-bodylis mounted onan axle ll which is journa'led in. the chassis 4. The front wheel 8 isconne'cted; to the rotary shaft 5 of the drive motor 5 through the gearing 7 for rotation. in the same direction (shown by the arrow} as the high speed-rotorsoa and 16b; In order to increase the stability of the toy during operation, the mile 8" mounting-the front wheel maybe placedwslightly rearwardly of the axis L of the verticui shaft 3, instead oi ton said taxis. The two wheeled toy according to this invention -,isconstructed such that when it strikes an obstacle it can change its direction of movement either to the right or lcftiby a slight angular displacementof the front wheelwith respect toits normal direction of movement. If-the two wheeled toy according to this invention is caused to turn at too great an angle, the toy may be thrownofi balance. Excessive turning movement of the chassis 4 is prevented by abutting engagement of chassis portion's'fiwith edge portions 9'of the opening 9 (FIG. 6A).

Housed in a, receptacle 1' in thecenter of the main I body 1 are dry cells 10 to which access can be had from outside.- A cover, 11 is removably attached to the main body. 1 to cover the cells 10'. Leeds 12 connect the cells stantially in the form of a letter U has 'legspivotally mounted on the axle 14' at opposite sides of the rear wheel 14. The switch actuator 15 is provided with leg extensions 15a which support the main body 1 and prevent its toppling over when'it is standing still. A spring 16 mounted between the central portion 15b of the actuator l5 and the main body I may biasthe extensions 15o into an inoperative position in which they can support the main body 1 (FIG. 6B,). When a leg extension 15a is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 48 against the biasing throes of the spring 16, the actaiuol' portion 15b bears against a movablecontact 13a of the switch 13 and brings same into engagement witha fixed contact 13b to thereby connect the power sourcato the driving section. The switch actuator 15. is held inthe operative position shown in dash-and-dot lines in FIG. 4B by the spring 16, so that the movable contact can be maintained in engagement with the fixed contact. In operation, upon actuation of the switch by means of the switch actuator 15, the power source is connected to the drive section and the drive motor 5 begins to rotate. The rotation of the drive motor 5 is transmitted to the front wheel I} through the gearing 7 at a speed suitable for operating the toy in the same direction as the rota- Patented Feb. 3.1970 I 3 tion of high speed rotors 6a and 6b. The fiy-wheel effect of the high speed rotors permits the front wheel 8 to rotate with a force sufiiciently great to cause the toy to run.

When the main body 1 is inclined, for example, to ward the right with respect to its direction of movement during operation, the driving section 2 is turned in pivotal motion to the right on the vertical shaft 3, with the result that the main body changes its direction to the right to a degree that the main body rights itself. When, on the other hand, the main body is inclined toward the left with respect to the direction of its movement, the main body 1 changes its direction to the left in the same manner as aforementioned so that the main body can right itself and continue in its movement.

When the toy main body 1 strikes an obstacle, the toy is temporarily brought to a standstill and then inclined either to right or left. This permits the main body to change its direction either to right or left and right itself, so that the toy can continue in its movement without falling sideways.

The front wheel 8 and the rear wheel 14 may be received in a grooved rail 17, as shown in FIG. 8. The toy main body 1 can run along the rail without toppling over, so that the two-wheeled toy according to this invention can have application as a toy monorail car.

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that the two-wheeled toy according to this invention has many advantages. It can run on two wheels without using any auxiliary means in the same manner as genuine two-= wheeled cars. When striking an obstacle, it can change its direction and continue on its movement without falling sideways. When two high speed rotors are used and the front wheel is mounted in such a manner as to be displaced from the extension of the vertical shaft on which the driving section is pivoted as described in the preferred embodiment, smoothness and stability of operation can be greatly increased. Moreover, the two-wheeled toy ac-= cording to this invention can have application as a toy monorail car.

What is claimed is:

1. A two-wheeled toy vehicle capable of upright opera tion comprising in combination:

(a) a main body having a front portion and a rear portion spaced in the direction of normal movement of said vehicle;

(b) a single wheel mounted on said portion for rotation about a first axis transverse to said direction and extending horizontally in the normal, upright, operating position of said vehicle;

(c) a chassis mounted on said front portion for pivotal movement about a second axis transverse to said direction and vertically extending in said normal position of the vehicle;

(d) a single front wheel mounted on said chassis for 5 rotation about a third axis transverse to said second axis and extending horizontally in said position of the vehicle;

(e) a motor mounted on said chassis;

(f) rotor means mounted on said chasis for maintaining said normal operating position of the vehicle when said rotor means is operated, said rotor means including a rotor member mounted on said chassis for rotation about a fourth axis extending in the direction of said third axis; and

(g) motion transmitting means drivingly connecting said motor to said front wheel and to said rotor member for simultaneously rotating the rotor membet and the front wheel at different speeds when said motor operates, the speed of said rotor member being higher than the speed of said front wheel,

(1) said front wheel and said rear wheel constituting the only means supporting said main body on a horizontal supporting surface in said normal position of said vehicle, when said motor operates, and the vehicle moves on said surface in said direction of normal movement.

2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said third axis is rearwardly offset from said second axis.

3. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said motion transmitting means include a shaft connected to said motor for rotation thereby, said rotor member being mounted on said shaft, and speed-reducing gearing operatively interposed between said shaft and said front wheel.

4. A vehicle as set forth in claim 3, wherein said shaft has two axial end portions respectively projecting from said motor in opposite directions, and said rotor means further include a second rotor member, said rotor members being respectively mounted on said end portions.

5. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a source of electric motive power for said motor on said body, a switch mounted on said body for connecting said source to said body, and a switch actuating member movable between an operative position and an inoperative position, said switch being closed to energize said motor in said operative position of said actuating member, the actuating member downwardlyv projecting from said body in the inoperative position thereof to provide support to said body when the vehicle does not operate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,588,040 3/1952 Perez 4650 X 2,698,497 1/1955 Muller 46206 XR 2,829,467 4/ 1958 Pagano 46-50 X 3,137,093 6/ 1964 Ulrich 46243 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,084,550 1/1955 France.

1,091,018 10/1960 Germany.

3 F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner ROBERT F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 46-50, 202, 206 

